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Godzilla
Godzilla (ゴジラ Gojira) is a Kaiju first appearing in Ishiro Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a wo rldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co.Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous media and icarnations including video games, novels, comic books, and television series. A 1998 American remaining was produced and a second american version is currently undergoing post-production.The character is commonly alluded to by the title King of the Monsters, an epithet first used in the Americanaised version of the original 1954 film. With the nuclear bombings in Hirosima and Nagasaki and the Lucky Dragon 5 incident still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for nuclear weapons. As the film series expanded, some stories took on less serious undertones portraying Godzilla as a hero while other plots still portrayed Godzilla as a destructive monster; sometimes the lesser of two threats who plays the defender by default but is still a danger to humanity. 'Name' The name "Godzilla" is a transliteration of Gojira (ゴジラ), a combination of two Japanese words: gorira (ゴリラ), meaning gorilla, and kujira (鯨 or クジラ), meaning whale. At one planning stage, the concept of "Gojira" was described as "a cross between a gorilla and a whale". The two words "whale" and "gorilla" fit Godzilla. Whale represents the aquatic and bulk of his life. The Gorilla represents the sheer strength and strategic thinking he does when fighting against other monsters. A popular story is that "Gojira" was actually the nickname of a hulking stagehand at Toho Studio.The story has not been verified, however, because in the more than 50 years since the film's original release, no one claiming to be the employee has ever stepped forward, and no photographs of him have ever surfaced. 'Appearance' Godzilla's appearance has changed between films over the years, but many defining details have endured. In the Japanese films, Godzilla is depicted as a gigantic dinosaur with rough, bumpy (usually) charcoal gray scales, a long powerful tail, and bone-colored dorsal plates (called scutes[3]), shaped like maple leaves. His origins vary somewhat from film to film, but he is almost always described as a prehistoric creature, and his first attacks on Japan are linked to the beginning of the Atomic Age. In particular, mutation due to atomic radiation is presented as an explanation for his great size and strange powers. Godzilla's iconic design is composed of a mixture of various species of dinosaurs; specifically, he has the body and overall shape of an old model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the long arms of an Iguanodon, and the dorsal plates of a Stegosaurus. 'Personality' Godzilla, in the original film, the Hensei era, some of the Millenium era, and Godzilla 2004, is an animal with semi-sapience that stumbles upon human civilization without any malicious intent, only destroying man-made structures when the humans provoke him, or, when dead-set on arriving at a certain location, any obstacles like buildings. In GMK, Godzilla is a malicious entity created from the restless souls of the dead from World War II. As the Godzilla series continued into the 60's and 70's, the terrifying monster developed as a character, and has since become a savior of the Earth, saving the world from other monsters like King Ghidorah, the Showa Mechagodzilla, Biollande, and Monster X, alone or alongside other monsters like Rodan, Anguirus, and Mothra. According to Mothra's Shobijin's translation of Mothra, Rodan and Godzilla's conversation in Ghidorah the three-headed monster, Godzilla only "hates humans because they hate him." 'History' 1954 film The Original Godzilla in Godjira was a prehistoric monster that weighed 20,000 metric tons, was 50 meters tall, and terrorized the ships of Japan. It was disturbed by an American Hydrogen bomb testing in the Pacific Ocean. After being awakened, the monster attacked Tokyo, destroyed much of the city, and killed tens of thousands. In hopes of stopping Godzilla, a scientist by the name of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa (Akihito Hitara) activated an experimental weapon he had developed, named the Oxygen Destroyer. Although Dr. Serizawa committed suicide in the process (out of shame and guilt), the weapon was successful, completely disintegrating Godzilla. It was stated at the end of the film that it was doubtful that there was only one creature, alluding not only to the many incarnations of Godzilla that would later appear, but also to all the other monsters that would be featured in movies produced by Toho. Showa series As alluded to at the end of the original movie, Godzilla again surfaced at first as a menace in Goodzilla Raids Again (shown in the U.S.A. as Gigandis , the fire monster, in which Godzilla is referred to as Gigantis and Anguirus, as Angurous or Angurousaurus). Setting the tone for future Show a series films, Godzilla's fate is uncertain at the end. His next film was 1962's King Kong vs Godzilla. The menacing ego of Godzilla's final film in the Showa series was 1964's Mothra vs Godzilla (the original American release title was Godzilla vs The Thing, but it was changed to the original Japanese title). Starting with Ghidorah the three-headed monster, Godzilla took on the protagonist persona he would wear for the remainder of the series. He would team up with Mothra, Rodan and Anguirus along with other monsters to battle a variety of foes both mundane, Ebirah, Kumonga and Kamacuras, and bizarre, Hedorah, Gigan and Megalon. He even gained a son in the form of Minilla. The series ended with Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975. The final scene depicted Godzilla wading off into the sea, not to be seen until his return in the VS series ten years later. It is notable, however, that the earlier-released film Destroy all Monsters took place in 1999, twenty-four years after Terror of Mechagodzilla. The series could also be said to truly end with Destroy all Monsters ending, which depicted all of Earth's monsters living out the rest of their days in peace on Monsterland. This "jump" of dates also explains how King Ghidorah appeared in movies such as Godzilla vs Gigan, he was killed in the earlier film. The Toho tokusatsu series, Zone Fighter, is notable in that it features Toho monsters from the films, such as Gigan, King Ghidorah and Godzilla himself. Produced during the 1970s, Toho has gone on record stating that the events depicted in the Zone Fighter television series are part of the Showa era, taking place between Godzilla vs Megalon and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla. Heisei series In Tthe return of Godzilla, the famous monster is re-invented to be taller and more powerful, at 80 meters tall and 50,000 metric tons. Return of Godzilla ignores all previous films in the series aside from the original. Godzilla vs King Ghidorah explains that this second Godzilla is the product of a botched time traveling mission by a group of terrorists from the 23rd century known as Futurians. Under the guise of wanting to save Japan from Godzilla's devastation, the Futurians travel back to 1944 and transport an injured Godzillasaurus residing on Lagos Island to the Bering Sea, thus preventing its exposure to the A-bombs. The Godzillasaurus lies dormant in the Bering Sea until the late 1970s, where it is exposed to radiation after a nuclear submarine accidentally detonates in the dinosaurs vicinity. Hungry for nuclear energy, the new Godzilla attacks a Soviet nuclear submarine before turning towards Japan as its predecessor in 1954 did, attacking the nation's nuclear power plants. After his battle with the Super X, Professor Hayashida lures Godzilla to Mount Mihara, where he is dropped into the lava below. There he enters a state of dormancy. During his slumber, Japan develops an underfunded agency, designed to track any and all of Godzilla's future sightings in Japan. Japanese corporations develop Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria (ANEB) in order to protect the country from nuclear accidents or attacks. Reawakened by explosions detonated during a failed terrorist ransoming, Godzilla heads for Lake Ashino where he does battle with Biollande, the hybrid monster of Godzilla’s own DNA and the cells of a rose that bonded with the soul of a scientist's daughter. After their first battle, a new Super X2 confronts Godzilla and distracts the monster so soldiers can administer the ANEB through rocket-propelled grenades. Super X2 is badly damaged during the battle, unable to further engage Godzilla. In an attempt to activate the ANEB, Godzilla is lured to a site with experimental lightning generators intended to increase Godzilla's core temperature so the bacteria can function properly. At the site, a new form of Biollante arrives and besieges the weakening Godzilla. The ANEB takes effect and forces the battle to a draw. Biollante is mortally wounded and Godzilla falls into the ocean, where he is believed to die from the ANEB. However, the cold waters of the Pacific lower Godzilla’s body temperature, retarding the effects of the ANEB and allow Godzilla to live on. In his weakened state, Godzilla swims back to the area of his origin, the Bering Sea. In Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, it is discovered that the time-travelers that had prevented Godzilla's creation had, during the Godzillasaur's transportation, left in its place their own creation, three tiny Dorats, to allow them to undergo Godzilla's nuclear transformation instead, mutating and combining them into a three-headed golden abomination, King Ghidorah. Unfortunately, they are unaware that the Godzilla they had planned to erase was later mutated by a nuclear submarine crash. The Futurians trick several scientists into aiding them on a false time-traveling mission under the pretense of preventing Godzilla's transformation on Lagos Island. In efforts to stop the Futurians' monster that is instead created, an extremely wealthy corporate developer, who previously fought on the island as a Japanese soldier, plans to send a nuclear submarine into the Bering Sea in an attempt to create the second Godzilla. Instead of finding the Godzillasaurus, the submarine would come face to face with Godzilla himself, mutated by the sub crash. The new Godzilla absorbs the power of the nuclear sub, increasing his size further, becoming powerful enough to defeat King Ghidorah. Godzilla proceeds to attack Japan itself, but is stopped when Emmy, one of the Futurians who had turned on her fellows, resurrects Ghidorah as a cyborg in the future and returns to the past to battle Godzilla with the new Mecha King Ghidorah. The two battle in Tokyo, with both falling into the sea, but Godzilla is still alive and reawakens using his atomic ray underwater at the movie's conclusion. These films show mankind's efforts to defeat Godzilla while also being challenged by other monsters such as Mothra, Battra and Rodan. This series features a specialized organization of monster-combating soldiers and engineers called G-Force. Several of the ways G-Force plan to stop Godzilla include the construction of two mechas, Mechagodzilla (who would battle both Godzilla and Rodan) and Moguera. Like in the previous series, Godzilla eventually adopts a "son" that is discovered by scientists in Rodan's nest, this time simply called "Baby Godzilla", "Little Godzilla," and "Godzilla Junior", simply referred to as "Junior." It is never stated that Godzilla birthed (asexually) the monster itself, or even made clear whether Godzilla has any knowledge of the creature's existence before it is born. Both Rodan and Godzilla have a natural drive to want to be close to the monster, much to the tactical benefit of G-Force. Ultimately, this Godzilla meets his end in the finale of the versus series, Godzilla vs Destroyah. Everything comes full circle when Godzilla is faced with a monster, Destroyah, created by the Oxygen Destroyer, which was used to kill the first Godzilla in 1954. Godzilla's end comes when his internal radiation becomes too intense for his body to control, and he finally succumbs to a total nuclear meltdown. This is not the end of Godzilla's legacy, however; the previously wounded Godzilla Junior (who is killed by Destoroyah earlier) absorbs all of the radiation from Godzilla's meltdown and fully matures into an adult Godzilla. Millenium series The Millennium series is unique because rather than creating a single continuity that all the films would follow, the series would instead comprise a number of distinct narratives and different timelines, each using only the original Godzilla film as a backdrop. It is called the "Shinsei" (新生, rebirth) series by some fans, however, the name is not recognized by Toho. In Japan, rather, many call it the "X" series, due to the Japanese titles containing "X" instead of "Vs" or "Versus". The majority of the films in the series featured a revamped Godzilla design. This new "Millennium Godzilla" had a wilder appearance, with more massive, jagged dorsal fins and a fiercer, more dinosaur-like face than the Godzilla featured in the Heisei or Showa series. As a direct sequel of the original movie, the Godzilla depicted in Godzilla 2000 Millenium is not related to any other Godzilla films seen previously, or to those to come. Godzilla himself is 55 meters tall and weighs 25,000 tons. It is unclear whether this Godzilla is the same as the original, but what is known is that he has been attacking and feeding off Japan’s energy plants for some time. During Godzilla’s latest rampage an alien is found which attacks Godzilla, absorbs his DNA and copy the Organizer G-1 (Regenerator G-1 in U.S. movie) in order to adapt to Earth’s atmosphere and becomes the monster, Orga. The two monsters battle and Godzilla prevails by destroying his foe as it attempts to swallow him whole. The Godzilla from Godzilla 2000: Millennium reappeared in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. The Godzilla attacked Tokyo in 1954, the Tokaimura Power Plant in 1966, and Osaka in 1996. (this may be a mistake.) In 2000, Godzilla would be the first to encounter the Meganula threat. However, shortly after this, Godzilla would be lured to Kiganjima Island where he would fall victim to a top secret weapon, the Dimension Tide. The attack would be interrupted by the Meganula allowing Godzilla to battle their queen, Megaguirus in battle. After Godzilla's victory he would fall victim once again to the Dimension Tide and be buried deep underneath the city. Shortly after the credits, however, the main character (a child) goes to the window and hears Godzilla's roar. Again disregarding the continuity of previous films of the millennium series, the Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah All Monsters Out-Attack is confirmed to be the original monster (because of the American's mistake of misconfirming Zilla as the true Godzilla). Godzilla is depicted as a demonic beast possessed by the souls of those who died in the Pacific in World War II. This film returns Godzilla to his roots of being a genuinely malevolent being who deliberately seeks to punish Japan for the sins of WWII. Godzilla would do battle with the Yamato no Kaiju Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah but would be nearly destroyed by the actions of General Tachibana, who piloted a submersible down Godzilla's throat and out through a wound in his neck. The next two times Godzilla attempted to use his atomic breath it shot out of his wound, and eventually tore him apart from the inside. At the bottom of Tokyo Bay, it is revealed that the heart of Godzilla is beating continuously. In the movie Godzilla against Mechagodzilla, a second Godzilla goes on a rampage in Japan. After that incident, the Minister of Science decides to make a bio-mechanical robot from the bones of the Godzilla of 1954. After a few years, Kiryu (MechaGodzilla) is born. Kiryu is sent to fight off Godzilla, however Godzilla roars, causing the DNA of the original to cause Kiryu to start attacking the city himself, until he runs out of power. Kiryu is shutdown and readjusted. Kiryu is sent again to fight Godzilla. At the end of the battle, Kiryu carries Godzilla and both crash in Tokyo Bay. Kiryu shoots his final shot, the Absolute Zero, and freezes the water. But Godzilla survives the shot with less damage and Kiryu loses his arm and damages the Absolute Zero. In the movie Godzilla:Tokyo S.O.S., the two Shobijin fairies warn that using Godzilla's bones as a weapon is a big mistake. The Prime Minister refuses to stop Operation: Kiryu. Godzilla then arrives in Tokyo and Mothra comes and saves Tokyo from destruction. The Prime Minister launches Kiryu in order to save the dieing Mothra. An egg in Infant Island eventually hatches and two larvae go to save their mother. Mothra is blown up by Godzilla's atomic ray and now what is left are the larvae and Kiryu. Kiryu eventually runs wild and brings Godzilla wrapped in silk to the ocean. They both sink together and Kiryu permanently shuts down and Godzilla is able to sleep in the depths. At the end, there is a storage room with the DNA of the original Godzilla still there, so another monster will rise (possibly Godzilla again, should he break free from Kiryu's grip). The Godzilla from Godzilla:Final Wars is the last Godzilla film as of 2004; Toho has decided to retire the franchise for a period of 10-12 years to renew interest in the future, returning with a new american film in 2014 as Godzilla's 60th Anniversary. Godzilla takes on a similar but newer appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars. The difference can be seen while comparing his head to the suits from all the other films. Godzilla's in the Heisei series was smaller in appearance while Godzilla from the Millennium series has a noticeably longer build. Many people think this Godzilla is also possibly Godzilla Jr. due to the fact of his image of him being trapped was shown simultaneously with Godzilla Junior's resurrection, although this is never explained and is probably not the case as the Heisei and Millennium eras share no continuity. Decades before the main story starts, an older past Godzilla is buried in ice at the South Pole by the Earth Defense Force’s aerial battle ship Gotengo. When the Xiliens, an alien race, use many of Earth's own monsters in an attempt to conquer it, the EDF is forced to free Godzilla from the ice to fight for mankind. This Godzilla is lured towards the Xiliens' Mothership in Tokyo while he fights the Xiliens' monsters along the way, defeating/destroying each one in his path including Gigan, Zilla, Kumonga, Kamacuras, Rodan, King Ceasar, Anguirus , Ebirah and Hedorah. He at last arrives in Tokyo just in time for an asteroid to enter Earth's atmosphere. Godzilla attempts to stop it by blowing his atomic breath on it, causing it to explode and releasing the real threat, Monster X. Mothra comes to aid Godzilla while the Xiliens summon the revived and rebuilt Gigan. Mothra is quickly dispatched by Gigan, who then joins Monster X to double team Godzilla. Mothra recovers and attacks both Monster X and Gigan, turning the tide of battle. Gigan resumes his battle with Mothra, using it's laser vision beam, turning Mothra to what some people call "Fire Mothra," and both monsters are destroyed in a Kamikaze attack by the lepidopteran deity, while Monster X transformed into a new form, Keiser Ghidorah. He nearly would have killed Godzilla if it weren't for the superhuman Ozaki transferring his mutant powers into Godzilla, restoring his strength and empowering him enough to use his greatest weapon-his spiral ray to destroy Kaiser Ghidorah. Turning his attention back on his old enemies, Godzilla shot down the Gotengo and prepares to finish its crew off when Godzilla's infant son, Minilla, intervenes, pleading Godzilla to stop. Both tired from his past battles and moved by Minilla's courage to stand up to him, Godzilla returns to the ocean with his son. But not with out Minilla finally using his atomic ray on his own. Godzilla let out one final roar; the Earth was safe. He could finally have peace. 'Abilities' Over the years Godzilla has possessed many powers and abilities to use against his foes. Godzilla is generally considered to be the most powerful kaiju, as is expressed by his title, King of the Monsters. Atomic breath odzilla's signature weapon is his distinctive atomic breath. Godzilla's dorsal fins glow ominously, and then he lets loose with a concentrated blast of radiation from his mouth. This power is commonly mistaken for breathing literal fire. Godzilla has been shown apparently being able to adjust the intensity of his ray, varying from a blast of superheated vapor, such as in the 1950s and 1960s, to a beam with explosive and kinetic properties, in the 1970s and onward. The ray is usually portrayed as being neon blue, though in Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs Megaguirus, it is a reddish orange to signify an increased level of power. In Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Godzilla's atomic breath was shown as having incendiary properties and was strong enough to destroy a miniature black hole, while in Godzilla:Final Wars, it possessed incredible range, amazing power and pin-point accuracy, able to hit a target in outer space and kill most kaiju with a single shot. In a memorable (and somewhat infamous) scene in Godzilla vs Hedorah, Godzilla even used his atomic breath to fly by aiming it at the ground and lifting off like a rocket. A variation of the standard atomic ray in the Heisei series was the red "spiral ray" which he acquired as a result of absorbing the Rodan's life energy. This ray was so powerful that only a few blasts of it were sufficient to completely destroy Mechagodzilla and Spacegodzilla, though Destroyah was able to withstand several hits. In GMK, a variant of his spiral ray was seen when King Ghidorah used his golden gravity beams on Godzilla. Godzilla was somehow able to draw strength from the gravity beams and used the absorbed energy to fire a blast of blue energy wrapped in a golden spiral that completely destroyed King Ghidorah. The spiral ray returned in Godzilla: Final Wars, where it was strong enough to push Keizer Ghidorah to the edge of space, destroying him in an explosion visible from the surface of the earth. In the video game Godzilla: Save The Earth, Godzilla can also use a variation of his Atomic Breath called the Final Beam, a beam of energy that resembles his regular Atomic Breath except for the fact it is far more powerful and is purple in color. In Save The Earth he can also launch huge fireballs from his mouth as well. Nuclear Pulse and Magnetic Powers In addition to his very deadly atomic breath, Godzilla can also emit atomic energy in all directions from every inch of his body in a short-range pulse. The pulse was first seen in his fight against Biollande. Godzilla only used the nuclear pulse in the Heisei series, although many consider the climactic scene in Godzilla 2000 to be a use of Godzilla's nuclear pulse; and also, Godzilla uses something similar to a nuclear pulse to prevent Keiser Ghidorah from draining any more of his energy from him after being surged with Ozaki's energy. In the 1974 movie, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, Godzilla found a way to generate powerful magnetic fields from his body after being struck several times by lightning, which proved devastating against his metallic foe. This is the only time Godzilla ever used this power. In the 1993 Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla2, Godzilla demonstrated another ability that may have been a variant of his nuclear pulse. After being struck with MechaGodzilla's Shock Anchor harpoons, Godzilla discharged a form of energy up the cables, severely damaging the robot's internal mechanisms. However, this was not the only time Godzilla ever used this ability. In the succeeding film Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla, the King of the Monsters discharged energy through his physical blows in his offensive against the sinister space mutant SpaceGodzilla. Durability Starting in the first Godzilla film, Godzilla displayed an immunity to conventional weaponry, virtually impervious to everything the JSDF threw at him. He has demonstrated the ability to survive complete submersion in magma for an extended period of time, sometimes while under extreme pressure from tectonic plates (as seen in Godzilla and Mothra:Battle for Earth). He has even survived being in ground zero of asteroid impacts. The only times his flesh has been visibly pierced were in battle with the Super X, Shōwa Gigan, Biollande, King Ghidorah, Destroyah, and from Mechagodzilla's weapons in the Showa, Heisei and Millennium series. In addition to being extremely resistant to damage, Godzilla possesses an extremely advanced and highly efficient regenerative ability. This power was a crucial plot point of Godzilla vs Biollande and in Godzilla 2000, it is explained that Godzilla's regenerative abilities may have something to do with his radioactive properties, and Regenerator G-1 ("Organizer G-1" in the Japanese version) is the name given to a substance in his cells that is responsible for Godzilla's swift healing. In Godzilla vs Biollante, Japanese scientists use samples of the Godzilla cells (called G-cells throughout the Heisei series of Godzilla films) to help create the ANEB. This healing factor would be inherited by all creatures spawned from Godzilla's DNA, those being Biollande, SpaceGodzilla and Orga Physical Abilities Godzilla has displayed varied levels of physical strength. He has been depicted lifting and throwing monsters in excess of his own weight, (such as Ghidorah, Hedorah, Mechagodzilla and others), and in Godzilla:Final Wars was even able to throw Kumonga clear over the horizon. He is shown using various martial arts techniques in a comical fashion during the Shōwa Series, or moving very quickly in spite of his size, such as in Zone Fighter. In the millennium series he has also been able to leap high into the air. Godzilla's long tail is also a formidable weapon. It has been shown to be very flexible and powerful, able to lash out quickly and topple over buildings and enemy monsters. In Godzilla vs Megalon, he was able to slide on his tail a great distance to deliver a devastating kick, and in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus it was revealed to be prehensile as well. In all his incarnations he has been shown to have powerful jaws and sharp teeth and claws, although these are more prominent in some incarnations than in others. Rarely, Godzilla also showed the ability to use his dorsal fins as a weapon, such as in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, when he uses their jagged tips to slice off Megaguirus' claw, and Godzilla vs. Hedorah, where he used them to cut into Hedorah during the flying scene. Also in Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla vs Megaguirus, the fins create a tremendous amount of heat when the atomic ray is being prepared. However, many of the films show Godzilla preferring to battle his opponents from a distance, particularly in the Heisei series; either by using his atomic breath, or by throwing objects like boulders at them. Amphibiousness Though not an amphibian, Godzilla has an amphibious lifestyle; he spends half of his life in water and the other on land to either wreak havoc or save the day. He is as adept a fighter underwater as he is on land. Capable of marching on the sea floor or swimming by undulating his tail like a crocodile, Godzilla is displayed as being able to breathe underwater (occasionally hibernating in the ocean depths between movies), and being submerged apparently does not impede his atomic ray, as seen in Godzilla vs King Ghidrah. He engages opponents in the sea on multiple occasions, fighting King Ghidorah, Ebirah, Battra, Biollande and Mothra either beneath or on the surface of the waves. Intelligence The extent of Godzilla's intelligence varies throughout the character's history, but Godzilla is generally depicted as a thinking creature. The Showa incarnation in particular is depicted as being close in intelligence to a human, capable of abstract thought, and able to communicate with other monsters. Other versions of Godzilla display a simple animal cunning. Though the American-shot inserts from King Kong vs Godzilla have little consistency with the timeline and rules of the Godzilla character in the Toho films, it may be worth mentioning that one of the American characters says that Godzilla has a brain about the size of a marble ("He's sheer brute force"); in comparison, the character states that Kong "Is a thinking animal." Again, this is largely inconsistent with Godzilla's character, although this is possibly done just to show Kong, being a primate would be be much more intelligent than Godzilla, who is a reptile. In the Heisei series Godzilla reacts on animal cunning and instinct more consecutively than in his Showa counterpart, as demonstrated by his conditioned response in The return of Godzilla. He was still capable of independent thought, however and according to Miki Saegua of human-like sentiments as well. This was corroborated by his mourning the death of Godzilla Jr. in Godzilla vs Destroyah. In Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla 2 he seems to destroy Mechagodzilla out of rage at Rodan's death. It was insinuated in Godzilla vs King Ghidorah that he also remembers the distant past. The Heisei Godzilla was psyhic on some level, possibly the most powerful in existence. His evasion of the JFS in Godzilla vs Biollande seemed to carry implications of precognition. Additionally, he had some manner of psychic link with Godzilla Junior and has several times demonstrated the ability to locate potential opponents from great distances. Other examples of Godzilla's intelligence was displayed in Godzilla 2000 when he was facing Orga. When Orga kept regenerating himself in a fast pace, Godzilla decided to go after Orga's core and exploited that weakness thus defeating Orga. Weaknesses Despite his incredible power, Godzilla has displayed a few weaknesses over the years. In King Kong vs Godzilla and Mothra vs Godzilla he is shown to be vulnerable to strong voltages of electricity. As the series progressed, lightning (i.e., electricity found in nature) has been shown to have the opposite effect, at times serving to revitalize him. In The return of Godzilla Godzilla was shown to be vulnerable to cadmium, though Godzilla's immune system was able to overcome it. Later on, Godzilla is revealed to have a second brain in his spine with Super Mechagodzilla being able to kill him by destroying it. Nevertheless, he was revived by Fire Rodan and further films seem to ignore this Achilles heel. It was also suggested in Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla that Godzilla has a soft spot under each armpit. However, the validity of this claim was highly dubious and this alleged weak point was never successfully exploited. Godzilla's sheer bulk has also been depicted as a disadvantage, making it difficult for him to keep up with the more agile Megaguirus, who was able to outmaneuver him as well as forcing Godzilla to have to rely heavily on his endurance. Also, while he has an endurance level beyond measure, his enemies usually counter by trying to crush and batter him. To date, the only weapons ever shown to be close to effective against Godzilla were Dr. Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer and to a lesser degree, Dr. Shiragami's ANEB (Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria). In Godzilla vs Destroyah the Oxygen Destroyer created the monster Destroyah . The ANEB was a chemical compound developed from Godzilla's cells and designed to consume radioactivity. The bacteria managed to lower the radioactivity within Godzilla's body to the point of causing him to hibernate in the sea for three years. Godzilla was then resurrected in Godzilla vs King Ghidorah when travelers from the future tampered with the timeline, creating a larger, more powerful Godzilla. There were apparently no further attempts to use the ANEB against Godzilla. 'Roar' Godzilla's roar is a famous sound effect. Over the years, it has changed considerably, sounding different almost every time and having many variations for the different emotions. The sound effects team originally tried to create Godzilla's roar by using animal roars that had been edited. They sampled all kinds of birds and mammals, but nothing seemed to be the right match for the reptile-like noises a monster like Godzilla would make. Akira Ifikube, who was the film's composer, proposed stepping away from using animal samples. He took a string off of his contrabass and rubbed it with gloves soaked in pine tar. The sound that came from it was used as Godzilla's roar. . Godzilla's roar can be written in readable characters and has been done so in comics, and not only by a simple "Roar". In the Marvel Comics, Godzilla's roar was spelled "Mrawww". In the Dark Horse and Godzilla Rulers of the Earth, Godzilla's roar was spelled "Skreeongk". In most of the IDW comics, Godzilla's roar is spelled "Skreeonk". 'Other Languages' Godzilla's name remains the same across many Latin alphabet using languages. Due to his popularity, he has more name translations than most other Kaiju. Alternate spellings: *Arabic: غدزيلا *Belarusian: Гадзіла *Bulgarian: Годзила *Chinese: 哥斯拉 *Greek: Γκοτζίλα *Hebrew: גודזילה *Korean: 무지막지한 *Persian (Traditional iranian): گودزیلا *Russian, Ukrainian and Serbian: Годзилла *Tamil: காட்ஜில்லா *Yidish: גאָדזיללאַ Category:Godzilla Monsters